Prominent industrialist and property owner. Apart from his entrepreneurial activities he was also occupied with public affairs and work in the organs of urban self-rule. An active participant of the Zemstvo and liberal movements. Prominent activist of the Constitutional Democratic Party. Deputy to the second, third and fourth State Dumas. From 1914 to 1917 the Moscow City Head.
After the overthrow of tsarism all power in Moscow was split between the Commissar of the Provisional Government and Committee of Public Organisations, formed under the auspices of the City Duma, on the one hand, and the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, on the other. The Provisional Government's main support in Moscow was the City Duma. On 2 March M.V. Rodzyanko issued a decree by which Chelnokov was appointed Commissar of the Provisional Government in Moscow and commissioner-in-chief in charge of provisions, i.e. he became the new representative of the new authorities.
During the few days he was in power in the city amnesty was granted to political prisoners, all political parties legalised, censorship liquidated and a few new periodicals started, including leftist ones.
Society was being heavily radicalised and Chelnokov, a moderate liberal, felt insufficiently confident of himself. On 6 March he therefore resigned from his position as commissar under the pretext that he was appointed and not publicly elected. The Committee of Public Organisations expressed its gratitude to Chelnokov for his "truly civic way of expressing the matter".
After the October Revolution he went into emigration. Died in Yugoslavia.
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